The leadership tussle rocking the Abakaliki Rice Milling Company got messier at the weekend as rival factions clashed in Ebonyi, the state capital.
Factional Chairman Chukwuemeka Nwankashi got machete cuts on his head and has since been hospitalised, following parallel elections, which produced factional executives.
It was gathered that a faction supported by the government held its election at the Abakaliki Township Stadium and former chairman Joseph Ununu was re-elected.
The second faction held its election at the mill’s hall and Nwankashi was elected as its chairman.
Speaking to The Nation, Nwankashi accused Ununu of causing the fracas. He alleged that Ununu’s faction, armed with weapons, and on Ununu’s orders, attacked him and his supporters as they celebrated his victory.
His words: “We planned to have our elections but government interfered with it. This is contrary to our constitution because only registered members are allowed to vote during elections.
“We begged to be allowed to hold the election at our hall but the government insisted it must hold at the stadium, and we agreed. But when we got to the stadium at 8am, we discovered they had brought in hoodlums to take over the place. We told them those people were not our authentic members but they did not listen, so we left.
“The authentic members then went to the mill and held our election but before that, we stopped at the Government House to intimate them of happenings. I won the election with 158 votes, as I was unopposed. Other officers were also elected: Elias Nwogwu (treasurer), Chijioke Ilodiba (vice chairman) and Emeka Agu Ozo (financial secretary).
“We were celebrating the victory when the former chairman, Joseph Ununu a.k.a Zuma, came with armed thugs and attacked us. I sustained injuries on my head and face. Many others were also injured and if not for the intervention of the police, we would have been killed.
“Ununu even boasted that he had government’s backing to eliminate anyone opposing him.”
Nwankashi called on the government to intervene, adding that “even if they want a particular candidate, they should tell us. We only want the proper thing to be done”.
But Ununu denied ordering the attack. He maintained that he was duly elected.
The government, through the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural resources, Uchenna Orji, has said the state will only recognise the election which produced Ununu.
According to him, the government had done all it could to ensure peace but its efforts were frustrated by selfish individuals.
“The government, therefore, constituted a committee, headed by myself, with other commissioners as members, and we fixed February 12 for the election, to hold at the Abakaliki Township stadium, which all the aspirants accepted.
“All 13 aspirants were screened and at the end, we adopted the option A4 system, with the delegates raising their hands to be counted.
“Ununu emerged as chairman and there was nothing like a parallel election, because the one which produced him was conducted in the presence of security officials and accredited election observers.
“The purported parallel election was conducted by cartels who are produce merchants; they connive with rice vendors to brand the rice as belonging to other states.
“Their acts give the false impression that Ebonyi rice is produced by other states, but we urge the rice millers and the public to conduct their businesses without fear of molestation,” Orji said.
